Search - Dairy Herd

U.S. milk production hits 20.6 billion lb. as the national herd reaches a 30-year high, driven by extreme cow efficiency and a massive 21% surge in Kansas expansion.

Today’s dairy producers are making every pregnancy count, using sexed semen, genomics and beef-on-dairy strategies to turn breeding decisions into more targeted replacement programs.

With beef cattle herds at a 75-year low, the cow-calf side hustle has sent dairy replacement prices over $4,000, forcing producers to choose between instant beef checks and the future of the herd.

At MVP Dairy, two fourth-generation farm families with more than 100 years of farming history have come together to build a system where every decision is made with the next generation in mind.

Despite a sharp drop in profit sentiment, 45% of producers are defying the storm through surgical efficiency and cultural pivots, proving grit and innovation are the keys to 2026 growth.

Models can’t yet tell you exactly when New World screwworm will reach your area. Cattle movements, weather and reporting will decide how far — and how fast — it goes.

The words spoken around the table can open the door to healing, hope and the courage to ask for help when it matters most.

The sudden closure of the St. Albans plant leaves 80 union workers jobless and marks another devastating blow to New England’s struggling dairy processing sector.

“No beef equals no margin.” Discover how GLP-1 drugs, crossbred calves and the “Californication” of China’s diet are dictating U.S. dairy profitability in 2026.